Anthem - Love or Hate?

[OBX-Cruisers]

The NCL Gem sails out of New York. It is a mid sized ship, which gets good reviews. There are no reservations necessary for dinner in the MDRs, or for shows in the Stardust Theater.

 

The Gem recently underwent a dry dock. We haven't sailed on her yet, but are scheduled to do so in April. No flying for us either, because we are taking Amtrak from Boston .

 

 

Please write a review after your cruise. At present, I tell my wife to hit me over the head if I ever suggest sailing on another NCL cruise ship. Willing to change my mind but the reviews are still pretty much what I remember from our first/last NCL experience

[Merion_Mom]

I have spent about three weeks on the Quantum and three weeks on the Anthem.

 

Each ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet has its own attractions and its own problems. Life isn't perfect, and neither are cruises.

 

That having been said, I love the Anthem.

 

The food is the same situation as on other ships: Some is good, some is very good, some is excellent, and sometimes you get a bad dish or meal.

 

The entertainment is off-the-charts fantastic.

 

There are so many activities, both indoors and out. Weather is never a factor for me, because if it's cold outside, there is so much to do inside. And if it's cold and windy............I get to walk around outside pretty much by myself. :D That can be a good thing.

 

I found staff to be happy and accommodating and good at their jobs, with few exceptions. (again, like any other ship)

 

My opinion about the Bionic Bar is that it is a waste of space and*my* money as a stockholder. ;)

 

The cabins are spacious and comfortable.

 

For those Diamond and above: You can't walk more than a few feet, it seems, without hitting a bar, so getting those voucher drinks is much easier than fighting your way through a crowded lounge.

 

The variety of restaurants and food offerings is simply staggering.

 

Two70 is something that you must experience to understand and appreciate. Just an amazing space and they do so much with it.

 

Solarium is huge and beautiful. It's good to know that on a normal cruise, there is a separate full size indoor pool for the family. ;) Keeps the Solarium for 16 and up, as intended.

 

Puzzle Break is a BLAST.

 

Bumper cars are so much fun - Nostalgia Central for the baby boomer crowd. :D

 

All of the fun parties that you are used to on other ships, plus much much more.

 

If you are lucky enough to have Abe Hughes as your Cruise Director (he is now "permanently" assigned to Anthem), you will definitely enjoy your cruise!

[Caon74]

Anthem has to be the worst ship (barely) afloat.Yes it's a marvel to look at but it is soulless.The staff are so disengaged you would have to see it too believe it.From officers down to pool attendants no one made eye contact or said hello.Even Rock the boat said they couldn't wait to get back on Indy.The food has to be the worst I've had in my life (with the exception of Wonderland).Overcooked blant ****e that I wouldn't give my dog.Same menus nearly everywhere every night.Windjammer full of lead bellys who sat there for half the day.

Bionic bar never worked,Michaels genuine,what's that about,never saw anybody in it.Bulgari shop,get a grip.Kids in the adult solarium but a couldn't fault that as the outdoor pools are a joke.Sun lingers feel like there welded together.Ye have to take a running jump to get onto one and ye better have someone with ye to help ye get off.It was that bad that we where thinking about staying in villafranche and flying home ourselves.What a waste of €10,000.There was so much upselling it was ridiculous.I was 4mins late collecting the bin lid from the club one day and I was charged for it.haha.Defo glad it's gone stateside

[3CatsInMA]

Well at least MM & Caon agree about the Bionic Bar! :D:D

[Merion_Mom]

Well at least MM & Caon agree about the Bionic Bar! :D:D

 

Do ye think so? ;)

[3CatsInMA]

Do ye think so? ;)

 

I'm assuming that you were not on Anthem at the same time...:);):D

[Merion_Mom]

I'm assuming that you were not on Anthem at the same time...:);):D

 

I got off the day that the poor hurricane-drenched bunch got on!

[yuvraj]

 

1. Is Anthem too big and do you lose the connection to the sea? This is the largest ship that we have sailed.

 

I don't believe the size is an issue. More of a case of a busy ship with a lot of things going on that would appeal to some but not all. Might even alienate those who are used to going on smaller, simpler RCL ships.

 

2. Is Anthem too crowded? A number of reviews indicate crowding issues. We do typically avoid crowds when possible, but they are sometimes unavoidable for meals and certain activities. Do you need to arrive 30 minutes before a show or activity to get a seat?

 

There is a booking system so as long as you make reservations and arrive at least 10 mins before then it is not a problem. After that they let in people without reservations so there is a bit of a rush. I never leave it that late.

 

3. Is Anthem too structured? If I don't reserve dining, shows, and activities before sailing, will we encounter long queues for dining, shows, and activities (or miss out entirely)?

 

The concept is different from traditional RCL cruises IMO. You might need to make more of an effort to plan your evening but even if you don't you still get to eat and see a show. Might involve more waiting.

 

There is a positive IMO. With reservations getting a seat in shows is easier. The dinning experience is less MDR and more restaurant like. Some have criticised the food and quality of service but I found both were very good.

 

4. Anthem reviews? CC reviews have been mixed at best. My quick synopsis would be, "Beautiful Ship, good entertainment, very crowded, service and included dining mixed at best"

 

I believe some of the reviews are misleading. The ship is polarising. You will love it or decide it is not your cup of tea and deviates too much from other RCL cruise experiences. Personally, I believe it is designed to appeal to a younger crowd.

 

5. Mainstream cruising in general. Has the sum of industry trend of service reductions, cutbacks, and upcharges reached the point where the allure (no pun intended) and value of cruising just is not as great? Even though we like the casual vibe of mainstream lines, do we need to start looking at more "upscale" lines?

 

Anthem is an improvement in standards IMO, not a compromise. Better quality shows, more facilities, more activities, improved dinning venues.

 

I am sure that the ship will be impressive and that we will have a great time.

 

I am confident you will have a good time and will enjoy the experience. There is a lot to see and do. However, like me you might reflect some time after whether it is the type of cruise ship experience you prefer. Very much in terms of personal preferences and what you enjoy doing most. It would not be my first choice for peace and relaxation but rates highly for entertainment and dinning.

Edited February 16, 2016 by yuvraj

[Guest maddycat]

You ask a question that I have been asking myself. I find the fact that you still are not sure about it interesting.

 

We are booked on the Anthem later this year. I must say that I have never had so many pre cruise concerns as I have about this one. Some of the concerns are specifically about Anthem and some center on some current cruise industry trends. I'll go through some of them. None of the concerns are related to the recent bad weather sailing.

 

1. Is Anthem too big and do you lose the connection to the sea? This is the largest ship that we have sailed. We typically avoid the main pool area, but like to relax in a quiet, shady area with an ocean view. Will we find that area on Anthem? (Note that we are quite happy on 80-110 KTon ships)

 

2. Is Anthem too crowded? A number of reviews indicate crowding issues. We do typically avoid crowds when possible, but they are sometimes unavoidable for meals and certain activities. Do you need to arrive 30 minutes before a show or activity to get a seat?

 

3. Is Anthem too structured? If I don't reserve dining, shows, and activities before sailing, will we encounter long queues for dining, shows, and activities (or miss out entirely)?

 

4. Anthem reviews? CC reviews have been mixed at best. My quick synopsis would be, "Beautiful Ship, good entertainment, very crowded, service and included dining mixed at best"

 

5. Mainstream cruising in general. Has the sum of industry trend of service reductions, cutbacks, and upcharges reached the point where the allure (no pun intended) and value of cruising just is not as great? Even though we like the casual vibe of mainstream lines, do we need to start looking at more "upscale" lines?

 

I am sure that the ship will be impressive and that we will have a great time. Afterward, I can answer the questions based on our experience and preferences. In the meantime any thoughts that anyone wishes to share are welcome.

 

We sailed on the Quantum last April so I'm assuming that the Anthem is the same. We didn't have any problems finding quiet, shady areas to sit and watch the sea.

[emdia43]

I always love going onto new ships. What's not to like? :)

[stipmom]

We just got off the Anthem. Ship is beautiful. My husband did not like its bigness at first but after a few days he saw it was easy to get around.

Our veranda statement on deck 11 was the best laid out stateroom we have had in our 40 cruises. Tons of storage space. We never needed to use the space above the bed.

We did Dynamic dining choice .We made reservations at home but found we had to change many of them to fit in the show schedule. We tried for around 7:30 but was told it was not possible but we could come down at that time and see if a table was available, We did that twice with no issues.

We ate in the Grande twice and American Icon and Chic once. Liked Chic the best but unfortunately we did not try it till our last night so we had no opportunity to go back.Was not a fan of the American Icon dinner.

Biggest problem I found was the creaking in the stateroom(and not because of the hurricane we hit). Don't know if it is a dedck issue but people on deck 6 or 8 did not seem to have it

[yuvraj]

Mixed reactions on this thread.

 

To sum up, I believe it is a question of whether you like dark chocolate, not whether the quality of chocolate is good or bad (analogy).

 

Clearly some have stronger subjective views on the matter but these need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Nothing I experienced on Anthem was bad. Quite a lot was amazing and refreshingly different.

 

As a 50+, who enjoys a quiet life, does bumper cars, rock climbing, NorthStar, Sky diving and mingling with lots of young people in bars appeal? That is why I am saying it might not be for me. Still enjoyed going on the ship and checking it out.

[silvermcs]

It is so interesting to read the different experiences. Clearly the ship is not for everyone. We are trying Anthem in July and can't wait to see for ourselves. I enjoy reading both the good and bad reviews. Makes for a better informed decision. We often cruise with multi generations of family and want 'something' for everyone, so I like to read the various perspectives of the CC contributors.

[dfishner]

We have been on almost every class of ship in the RCL fleet except Vision class and have liked them all I am not sure why but the Quantum class of ship does not appeal to us at all and I cannot tell you why. The ship does not have the wow feel for us of an Oasis or Allure.

[Phoenix1949]

 

My opinion about the Bionic Bar is that it is a waste of space........

 

Couldn't agree more. It's the only thing I don't like about this ship. A Martini bar like they have on the Summit would be a much better use of this space. After the novelty wore off there were very few customers.

 

We were on the same cruise as you. Abe was great. The whole ship is great. The crew was great. Big improvement in service from Quantum. You could see that the staff was working hard to deliver a memorable experience.

 

Only 357 days till we sail again, unless we find a good deal to Bermuda :D

[CanadaRob]

Mostly love it. Sailed Quantum last year, this ship made me fall in love with cruising again after a long absence.

Went on it specifically because it was different.

Loved dynamic dining and all but one meal(Silk)

All the other amenities were terrific and the crew was top notch.

 

Like some have mentioned I won't go again because of where it is based out of.

Didn't think when I booked it but had 4 days where my balcony was really not useable and could not go on deck with the wind, snow, cold.

Made a mental note to myself don't sail out of NJ in winter stupid!

Next cruise leaving out of San Juan :)

[bren61]

Sailed both Quantum & Anthem and glad I had the chance to experience them, but I prefer the Oasis/Allure class by far. I really missed the Ice skating & Aqua Shows.

[GolfMom321]

As you can see from my signature, I adore Anthem! We did the 8 day TA and we were hooked. Did a 12 day in January and loved it even more. I've got 3 more sailings scheduled in the next 5 months. I did night find it particularly crowded, other than right after shows. I agree the Bionic Bar is a waste of space. I found the crew to be outstanding, pleasant, and helpful. Loved my cabins. The food ranged from OK to great. Entertainment was excellent. Abe Hughes is a fantastic CD, and both Captain Claus and Captain Anders were excellent. Loved iFly and North Star. No flow rider or rock climbing wall for me (balance issues and fear of heights...) but I loved the Puzzle Break room and all the trivia. And since I live in Jersey, I love being only 45 minutes from the port.

 

17 days til I'm back onboard. Yeah, I'm a fan!